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Speaker 1: The apparition by guill de montperson. The subject of sequestration

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of the person came up in speaking of a recent lawsuit,

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and each of us had a story to tell, a

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true story. He said. We have been spending the evening

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together at an old family mansion in the Rue du Grenelle,

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just a party of intimate friends. The old Marquis de

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la Tour Samuel, who was eighty two, rose and, leaning

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his elbow on the mantel piece, said, in his somewhat

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shaky voice, I also know of something strange, so strange

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that it has haunted me all my life. It is

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now fifty six years since the incident occurred, and yet

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not a month passes that I do not see it

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again in a dream. So great is the impression of

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fear it has left on my mind. For ten minutes,

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I experienced such horrible fright that ever since then, a

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sort of constant terror has remained with me. Sudden noises

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startle me violently, and objects imperfectly distinguished at night inspire

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me with a mad desire to flee from them. In short,

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I am afraid of the dark. But I would not

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have acknowledged that before I reached my present age. Now

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I can say anything I have never receded before real danger, ladies.

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It is therefore permissible, at eighty two years of age

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not to be brave in presence of imaginary danger. That

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affair so completely upset me caused me such deep and

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mysterious and terrible distress that I I never spoke of

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it to anyone. I will now tell it to you

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exactly as it happened, without any attempt at explanation. In

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July eighteen twenty seven, I was stationed at one one day,

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as I was walking along the quay, I met a

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man whom I thought I recognized, without being able to

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recall exactly who he was. Instinctively I made a movement

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to stop. The stranger perceived it, and at once extended

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his hand. He was a friend to whom I had

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been deeply attached as a yuse for five years. I

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had not seen him. He seemed to have aged half

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a century. His hair was quite white, and he walked

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bent over, as though completely exhausted. He apparently understood my surprise,

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and he told me of the misfortune which had shattered

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his life. Having fallen madly in love with a young girl,

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he had married her, but after a year of more

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than earthly happiness, she died suddenly of an affection of

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the heart. He left his country home on the very

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day of her burial and came to his town house

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in Rooin, where he lived alone and unhappy, so sad

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and wretched that he thought constantly of suicide. Since I've

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found you again in this manner, he said, I will

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ask you to render me an important service. It is

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to go and get me out of the desk in

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my bedroom, our bedroom, some papers of which I have

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urgent need. I cannot send a servant or a business clerk,

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as discretion and absolute silence unnecessary. As for myself, nothing

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on earth would induce me to re enter that house.

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I will give you the key of the room, which

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I myself locked on leaving, and the key of my desk.

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Also a few words for my gardener, telling him to

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open the chateau for you. But come on breakfast with

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me tomorrow and we will arrange all that I promised

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to do him. The slight favor he asked, it was

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for that matter only a ride which I could make

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in an hour on horseback, his property being but a

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few miles distant from vois. At ten o'clock the following day,

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I breakfasted tete a tit with my friend, but he

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scarcely spoke. He begged me to pardon him. The thought

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of the visit I was about to make to that

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room the scene of his dead happiness overcame him, he said.

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He indeed seemed singularly agitated and preoccupied, as though undergoing

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some mysterious mental struggle. At length, he explained to me

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exactly what I had to do. It was very simple.

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I must take two packages of letters and a roll

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of papers from the first right hand drawer of the desk,

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of which I have a key. He added, I need

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not beg you to refrain from glancing at them. I

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was wounded at that remark and told him so somewhat sharply.

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He stammered, forgive me, I suffer so, and tears came

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to his eyes. At about one o'clock I took leave

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of him to accomplish my mission. The weather was glorious,

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and I trotted across the fields, listening to the song

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of the larks and the rhythmical clang of my sword

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against my boot. Then I entered the forest and walked

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my horse branches of trees caressed my face as I passed,

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And now and then I caught a leaf with my

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teeth and chewed it from sheer gladness of heart at

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being alive and vigorous on such a radiant day. As

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I approached the chateau, I took from my pocket the

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letter I had for the gardener, and was astonished at

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finding it sealed. I was so irritated that I was

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about to turn back without having fulfilled my promise, but

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reflected that I shall thereby display undue susceptibility. My friend,

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in his troubled condition, might easily have fastened the envelope

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without noticing that he did so. The manner looked as

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if it had been abandoned for twenty years. The open

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gate was falling from it hinges, the walks were overgrown

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with grass, and the flower beds were no longer distinguishable.

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The noise I made by kicking it a shutter brought

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out an old man from a side door. He seemed

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stunned with astonishment at seeing me. On receiving my letter,

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he read it, re read it, turned it over, and

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over looked me up and down, put the paper in

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his pocket, and finally said, well, what is it you wish?

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I replied shortly, you ought to know, since you've just

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read your master's orders, I wished to enter the chateau.

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He seemed overcome. Then you're going in into her room.

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I began to lose patience. Damn it, are you presuming

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to question me? He stammered in confusion. No, sir, but

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but it's not been opened since the death. If you

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will be kind enough to wait five minutes, I will

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go and see if, I interrupted him angrily, see here,

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what do you mean by your tricks? You know very

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well you cannot enter the room, since here is the key.

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He no longer objected. Then, sir, I will show you

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the way, show me the staircase, and leave me. I'll

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find my way without you. But sir, indeed, this time

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I lost patience, and, pushing him aside, went into the house.

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I first went through the kitchen, then two rooms occupied

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by this man and his wife. I then crossed a

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large hall, mounted a staircase, and recognized the door described

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by my friend. I easily opened it and entered the apartment.

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It was so dark that at first I could distinguish nothing.

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I stopped short disagreeably affected by that disagreeable, musty odor

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of closed unoccupied rooms. As my eyes slowly became accustomed

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to the darkness, I saw plainly enough a large and

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disordered bedroom, the bed without sheets, but still retaining its

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mattresses and pillows, on one of which was a deep impression,

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as though an elbow or a head had recently rested there.

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The chairs all seemed out of place. I noticed that

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a door, doubtless that of a closet, had remained half open.

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I first went to the window, which I opened to

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let in the light, but the fastenings of the shutters

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had grown so rusty that I could not move them.

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I even tried to break them with my sword, but

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without success. As I was growing ill irritated over my

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useless efforts, and could now see fairly well in the

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semi darkness, I gave up the hope of getting more

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light and went over to the writing desk. I seated

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myself in an armchair, and letting down the lid of

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the desk, I opened the drawer designated it was full

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to the top. I needed but three packages, which I

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knew how to recognize, and began searching for them. I

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was straining my eyes in the effort to read the superscriptions.

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When I seemed to hear, or rather feel, something rustle

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back of me, I paid no attention, believing that a

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draft from the window was moving some drapery. But in

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a minute or so another movement, almost imperceptible, sent a

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strangely disagreeable little shiver over my skin. It was so

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stupid to be affected even slightly that self respect prevented

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my turning around. I had just found the second package

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I needed and was about to lay my hand on

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the third, when a long and painful sigh uttered just

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at my shoulder, made me bound like a madman from

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my seat and land several feet off. As I jumped,

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I had turned round my hand on the hilt of

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my sword, and truly, if I had not felt it

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at my side, I should have taken to my heels

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like a coward. A tall woman dressed in white stood

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gazing at me from the back of the chair where

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I had been sitting. An instant before, such a shudder

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ran through all my limbs that I nearly fell backward.

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No one who has not experienced it can understand that fright,

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unreasoning terror the mind becomes vague, the heart ceases to beat,

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the entire body grows as limp as a sponge. I

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do not believe in ghosts. Nevertheless, I collapsed from a

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hideous dread of the dead. And I suffered. Oh I

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suffered in a few moments, more than in all the

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rest of my life, from the irresistible terror of the supernatural.

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If she had not spoken, I should have died, perhaps,

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But she spoke. She spoke in a sweet, sad voice

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that set my nerves vibrating. I dare not say that

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I became master of myself and recovered my reason. No.

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I was terrified and scarcely knew what I was doing.

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But as certain innate pride, a remnant of soldierly instinct,

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made me, almost in spite of myself, maintain a bald front.

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She said, Oh, sir, you can render me a great service.

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I wanted to reply, but it was impossible for me

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to pronounce a word. Only a vague sound came from

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my throat. She continued, will you you can save me,

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cure me? I suffer, frightfully, I suffer, Oh how I suffer?

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And she slowly seated herself in my armchair, still looking

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at me, will you, she said. I nodded in assent,

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my voice still being paralyzed. Then she held out to

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me a tortoise shell comb and murmured, comb my hair, Oh,

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comb my hair. That will cure me. It must be combed.

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Look at my head, how I suffer and my hair

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pulls so her hair unbound, very long and very black.

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It seemed to me hung over the back of the

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arm chair and touched the floor. Why did I promise?

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Why did I take that comb with a shudder? And

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why did I hold in my hands her long black

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hair that gave my skin a frightful cold sensation as

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though I were handling snakes. I cannot tell that sensation

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has remained in my fingers, and I still tremble in

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recalling it. I combed her hair, I handled. I know

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not how those icy locks I twisted, knotted and unknotted

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and braided them. She sighed, bowed her head, seemed happy.

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Suddenly she said, thank you, snatched the comb from my hands,

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and fled by the door that I had noticed Ajar

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left alone. I experienced for several seconds the horrible agitation

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of one who awakens from a nightmare. At length, I

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regained my senses. I ran to the window, and with

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a mighty effort, burst open the shutters, letting a flood

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of light into the room. Immediately I sprang to the

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door by which that being had departed. I found it

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closed and immovable. Then the mad desire to flee overcame

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me like a panic, the panic which soldiers know in battle.

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I seized the three packets of letters on the open desk,

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ran from the room, dashed down the stairs four steps

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at a time, found myself outside, I know not how, and,

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perceiving my horse a few steps off, leaped into the

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saddle and gallup away. I stopped only when I reached

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to wap and alighted at my lodgings, throwing the reins

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to my orderly. I fled to my room and shut

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myself in to reflect for an hour. I anxiously asked

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myself if I were not the victim of a hallucination.

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Undoubtedly I had had one of those incomprehensible nervous attacks,

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those exaltations of mind that give rise to visions and

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are the stronghold of the supernatural. And I was about

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to believe I had seen a vision, had a hallucination,

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when As I approached the window, my eyes fell by

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chance upon my breast. My military cape was covered with

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long black hairs, one by one with trembling fingers, I

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plucked them off and threw them away. I then called

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my orderly. I was too disturbed, too upset, to go

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and see my friend that day, and I also wished

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to reflect more fully upon what I ought to tell him.

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I sent him his letters, for which he gave the

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soldier a receipt. He asked after me most particularly, and,

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on being told I was ill had had a sunstroke,

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appeared exceedingly anxious. Next morning, I went to him, determined

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to tell him the truth. He had gone out the

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evening before and had not yet returned. I called again

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during the day my friend was still absent. After waiting

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a week longer without news of him, I notified the authorities,

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and the judicial search was instituted. Not the slightest trace

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of his whereabouts or manner of disappearance was discovered. A

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minute inspection of the abandoned chateau revealed nothing of a

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suspicious character. There was no indication that a woman had

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been concealed. There After, fruitless researches all further efforts were abandoned,

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and for fifty six years I have heard nothing. I

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know no more than before and of the apparition